A look into the Past
by Sailor Rayearth
Summary: Fluttershy's Dam and Sire are visiting Ponyville. She learns they want send her to a special flying school, despite her age. Now Fluutershy has to fight to stay in Ponyville while rebuilding a relationship with her estranged parents.
1. Chapter 1

The young filly flinched away as she handed her Sire the note her teacher sent home with her. As he read, she cringed further away; sinking lower to the clouds their home resided on. Over his shoulder, the fillies Dam skimmed along. She wished she could break the clouds and fall down to Equestria's surface, but she wasn't good at that either. She was a failure to do anything associated with a Pegasi.

Her Sire dropped the letter, signaling he had read enough of the accursed thing. The letter was just another thing that brought disgrace to the family. "It doesn't make any sense." He said after a long, awkward pause. "You're Dam and I; we were the best fliers in our classes. How is it that you're so far behind everypony else? You have no hope left to advance this year…. This doesn't make any sense." He mumbled. It was more to the air then directed at her. He never spoke directly to her anymore. Her Dam said nothing, she never did. Not even to defend her own foal.

She stayed sunken low to the clouds, and dismissed herself to her room. She was ashamed.

Birds were beginning to fly south, guided by the Pegasi of the town. Save for Fluttershy who trotted through the market gathering supplies. When the birds left, her other animals begun their preparations for hibernation. And Fluttershy was helping again this year, like she had since she came to Ponyville. She grabbed her last supplies and headed home.

The whole town was bracing itself for the winter. Fluttershy sighed. Winter was her least favorite time of year. All her animal friends hibernated. Only Angel would remain living with her during winter. "How yer' doin' Fluttershy?" A voice asked from behind her. Fluttershy jumped up in surprise, her wings took over and she stood there in mid air. She looked down to see Apple Bloom. "Opp's I'm sorry Fluttershy, I thought ya heard me. My hooves aint exactly the quietest."

"Oh, it's ok Apple Bloom, I was lost in thought. A tornado could have passed through, and I wouldn't have heard it. Where are you headed? I thought Apple Jack wouldn't let anyone leave the ranch until everything is ready."

"Were almost finished over there. AJ sent me over to the post office. No pony left the ranch in a week. She's reckoned we got some mail by now. And 'cause there's no mail Pegasi right now, and after the ranch work is finished, AJ's helpin other ponies out."

"Would you mind if I tag along? I haven't checked the office since all the Pegasi left either."

"Sure let's go. Macintosh wants me home as soon as possible."

Fluttershy walked into the post office with Apple Bloom at her flank, and stopped when she saw the state the building was is in. It looked as if a tornado had gone through the building. Paper was discarded on the floor like a fine layer of snow. Stamps lay stuck to surfaces. Wrapping tape, foam peanuts, bubble wrap. It was everywhere. "We apologize for the mess, it got hectic quickly. Everypony sending out packages for Hearths Warming Eve. To top it off all the Pegasi working here are away. Name please?"

"Fluttershy." She mumbled.

"Alright dear, one second." The mail pony responded. She pulled a stack of mail and hovered it into the air with her horn and sorted through it. A few seconds later she handed Fluttershy a letter. She grabbed the letter with her mouth and moved out of the way for Apple Bloom. Fluttershy nodded her good bye and headed back towards her cottage.

Angel greeted her at the door. "Oh good morning Angel. I was out getting supplies to help out the rest of our friends. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up." Fluttershy said as she unloaded her saddlebag and opened her letter. "Plus, I think I found your present." She broke the seal and begun to read. A look of horror came across her face. Angel saw it and jumped up onto the table and studied the letter. He looked it over as if he was reading it. He pointed and thumped his feet in impatience. "No they can't be coming." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Extend your wings, as far as they go." The doctor instructed. The foal did as she was told and kept them extended. She hated the way the doctor stared at her, like she was under a microscope. Which made her feel like something was wrong with her….But maybe there was something wrong with her? She lowered her head under his gaze. Her mane dropped over her eyes. From his chair, her Sire coughed under his breath. He hated whenever she did that. She should be holding her head high in pride. But how was she supposed to be prideful when everypony thought there was something wrong with her? When she couldn't fly as well as fillies and colts younger than her? With her family and their reputation?

"Nothing looks out of the ordinary, bone growth is normal, nerves all in check. The muscle tissue is a bit lacking. You're repeating the semester once it starts again, Am I correct?"

Fluttershy opened her mouth to say yes but before she could her Sire cut in. But not before sending her a disappointed look "Yes she is."

"Well the lack of muscle should be able to be made up in no time at all. Now might I suggest…"

Fluttershy was sunken low to the clouds as she walked behind her Dam and Sire. She could imagine they were further disappointed now. Instead of finding something wrong with her, she was just a bad flier.

She worked hard, practiced hard. All to be ready for this semester. She under no circumstances was allowed to fail. She looked around at all the new foals. They turned their heads and whispered. Already her reputation as a failure spread to them. "Fluttershy, get in line." The instructor called. "Where is…..uhh Rainbow Dash? Oh never mind." He asked looking confused before giving up.

Fluttershy lined up. This is what she trained for; there would be no failing this time. This semester she would pass. But as each foal hovered then eventually fell, she became more and more nervous. "Hey there's nothing to be nervous about." Fluttershy jumped up then came crashing down again. Behind her a laugh echoed off the clouds. "Calm down there, I'm only a Pegasus, Rainbow Dash to be exact. These drills are easy. There's nothing to be so jumpy about….Uh…. What's your name?"

"Fluttershy, next!" The instructor ordered. Fluttershy trotted forward. Below her, those who had gone already looked back up at her. But she was more focused on the clouds below. They had never seen so far away."Get moving Fluttershy!" Or maybe she was that high up. Suddenly she was free falling through the air. He wings flapped franticly but the shock of being pushed off the bank was preventing their potential.

She crashed into the ground. One would think that clouds would be cushionier. Fluttershy now held heavy evidence that supported the opposite. She held her head to stop the other ponies from spinning.

"FLUTTERSHY, FLUTTERSHY, FLUTTERSHY CAN HARDLY FLY!" The chant roared around her. Fillies and Colts pointed their hooves at her. Others, she saw, were on their sides rolling with laughter.

Fluttershy climbed out of her indention and ran away from the cloud. Her pink mane whipping around her as she headed for home.

"Why are they coming? Oh Angel they can't come. Why would they want to visit? They never want to visit." In response Angel shrugged his shoulders, and pointed again. He still had no idea what she was talking about.

"My Sire and Dam. They're coming to visit. Oh Angel you don't know how bad this is. My parents, they don't like what I do. They call it an earth pony job. Their ashamed of me and my poor flying skills."

"The letter say's their coming tomorrow. Oh shoot, we have to clean. Angel be a dear and go gather everyone you can find. See if you can find Mr. Bear. We have to move furniture around.

It was the very next day that Fluttershy received a knock at the door. She flung open the door apologizing for the mess. "What mess?" A voice asked. Fluttershy looked up and saw Rainbow Dash sitting in her door way. "What's got you so paranoid? Expecting Rarity or some pony else?"

"Oh Dashie, it's only you. I thought you were some pony else."

"Like I asked, who are you expecting?"

"My Sire and Dam are coming for a visit." At the mention of her friends Dam and Sire, Rainbow paled slightly. She remembered them from their time in Cloudsdale as foals. And their support for their daughter wasn't exactly there. "Wow, kinda wished I took longer with the birds now. I'm just joking Fluttershy. Listen I'm here for you. As well as all the other girls."

"Oh thank you Rainbow, but the others don't know about my parents and their….expectations of me. And I want it to remain that way. Please Dashie? I know you don't like keeping secrets. Almost as much as Apple Jack hates lying."

"As long as they don't directly ask me about your parents. I won't lie Fluttershy."

"I wouldn't ask you to. Thank you Rainbow." Fluttershy said, as she hugged her best friend. Rainbow Dash returned the hug, and then made her way over to the couch. "Are you sure?" She asked as her blue friend plopped herself on the couch. "They could be here any minute." Rainbow only waved her away.

Another knock on the door caused both Pegasi to flinch. Their ears stuck upright. On natural instincts Rainbow Dash extended her wings then pulled them to her side.

Angel, who had been of somewhere in the house, scurried up Fluttershy's flank and nestled into her thick mane and hid himself from whatever was outside. The sound of hooves knocking continued. Now just a step away from the door, Fluttershy took one last deep breath.


	2. Chapter 2

From her spot on the couch, Rainbow Dash rolled over and sat up properly as Fluttershy moved to the door. When Fluttershy took a few seconds to take a deep breath, she took the time to smooth out her mane, all disheveled from flying the birds south. Fluttershy didn't mind her lack of a decent appearance, none of her friends did, well except for maybe Rarity. Fluttershy's parents on the other hand, wouldn't be impressed. Not that they cared for Dash's presence in the first place.

What she wouldn't give to be Angel, hiding away from the world inside Fluttershy's incredibly thick mane. Or Tank. He was much better at hiding. Tank could pull his head into his shell and simply ignore the world.

Well she could leave, but that would be abandoning Fluttershy. And her conscious, in the back of her head, screamed that the thought was wrong. It was wrong to do that to any pony. The thought of doing that to Fluttershy, it was almost painful. Quickly Rainbow Dash shook the thought out of her head.

Fluttershy opened the door. To no pony's surprise, Fluttershy's Dam and Sire stood in the doorway. Both took a moment to take in Fluttershy's parents. Neither had seen them since their days in flight school.

The golden color of her father combined with the gleaming pristine white coat of her mother is what gave Fluttershy the soft yellow she was. Both had different shades of red for their mane color. Fluttershy received her pink color from an ancestor.

"Do you plan on inviting us in, or has living with animals made you forget your manners entirely?" Her Sire asked. From the couch Rainbow Dash shot them a nasty glare. Already they were treating Fluttershy and her talent with the disrespect.

"Oh no, my manners are perfectly intact. It's just that I haven't seen you in a long time." Fluttershy responded flinching to the ground, already submissive. "Please come in." She said as she opened the door and moved out of the way. "Father, Mother, you remember Rainbow Dash?" She asked, nodding her head in the blue Pegasus's direction. Angel fell to the floor, as she did. Fluttershy flinched then quickly comforted the creature.

Her parents only looked at the rabbit on the floor, which fell from their filly's mane. Her mother only gave a small smile. Her father looked with disdain at the creature. But he responded to the question. "Ah yes, the filly who claims to join the Wonderbolts someday. Tell us, how that fantasy is working out for you."

"Well I won 'Best Young Flyer' last year, when I preformed a Sonic Rainboom, while saving the Wonderbolts lives. All in all, I think I did pretty awesome. They know my name now. Now all I have to do is wait for the next open tryouts."

"The Wonderbolts are a humble bunch of ponies. Who don't go off bragging about their fame."

Before Rainbow Dash could make a comeback Fluttershy barged her way into the conversation. "Uh, Dashie, don't you have to pick up Tank from Twilight's? I'm sure he misses you." She suggested. Rainbow caught the hidden meaning and reluctantly gave Fluttershy a reassuring hug before she left.

"You're always welcome to stop by, Fluttershy." She whispered in her ear.

"Thanks Dashie."

* * *

Fluttershy didn't want to be here. A small part of her really, _really _disliked school now more than ever. She wished she could have stayed home for the day, or even better, stayed home forever. Fillies and Colts gossiped behind her back as they passed down the halls.

She entered the door frame, and the room went quiet. Thankfully the teacher soon walked in. She thanked Celestia again, when the teacher announced that flight drills were postponed until tomorrow.

Lunch was proving itself to be pure torture. Fluttershy moved a section of cloud over into the open sky that sat nicely behind a cloud bank, far away from anypony and proceeded to eat her lunch by herself to avoid hearing the gossip. "Hey! Fluttershy, was it? Mind if I pull up a cloud?"

The light blue, rainbow manned Pegasus, from the other day asked her. "I-uh….sure." Fluttershy agreed. The filly set her lunch down and took off to find another cloud. Fluttershy sat in wonder. Was she supposed to talk? What about? She couldn't remember what the other filly's name even was.

"I'm back. So, umm nice indention last week, I'm a sucker for wicked wipe outs. Yours defiantly went on the list. Hey Fluttershy you ok? Hey I'm just trying to cheer you up. I really do like finding the worst wipe outs. I didn't mean to sound mean."

"No it's not that. It's just that, I can't even remember your name. You remembered mine so quickly."

The blue Pegasus looked at Fluttershy then burst out laughing. "That's what you're on the verge of crying about? "The names Rainbow Dash. I forget names all the time."

"Ok, thanks."

The conversation died down, and the two fillies sat and enjoyed their lunches. When the bell sounded for everypony to head back for class, Rainbow Dash got up from her place in the clouds and begun flying back to the building.

Fluttershy sat on the cloud, waiting for her new friend to get far enough away. "Uh, what are you doing Fluttershy?"

"Well, it's just you're the best flier, and…..I'm not. I don't want any other pony to make fun of you for being friends with such a horrible flyer….like me.

Rainbow gave her questioning look, and then pulled Fluttershy closer. "I don't care what the others think." She simply said, and pulled Fluttershy along the sky.

* * *

"I was so shocked to hear you both were interested in coming in Ponyville." Fluttershy said as she shut the door after Rainbow Dash had left. "Do you want anything to drink?"

Both elder ponies looked uncomfortable as they took in their surroundings around their daughters' cottage. Strange contraptions littered the walls, and large first aid kits were organized neatly throughout the room. Smells of antiseptic and medicinal herbs hung in the air.

Fluttershy stared at her Sire and Dam as they glanced around the main room. "What is that strange odor?"

Fluttershy sniffed the air. She smelt nothing out of the ordinary. Though she didn't question what her parents had asked. "I'll go open a window." She stated and fluttered quickly to the nearest window.

"What are these things hanging from your ceiling?" Her Dam asked.

Fluttershy looked up. "Oh those are bird cages. I use them to keep birds enclosed when their wings are healing." Apparently those drinks were being ignored.

"So what exactly do you do around here?" Her Sire asked.

"Well I normally work with healing the animals around here. But sometimes I work with a friend whenever she needs help in the fields."

"So Earth pony jobs? Unbefitting of a Pegasus of your stature. Now Fluttershy listen here. Your mother and I didn't come here on any casual visit. We want you to go back to school."

"But I'm too old." Fluttershy argued, shocked that her parents would even bring up such a subject.

"It's a special school. Designed to help those…less gifted flyers. We had to pull a few feathers, but we managed to get you in, despite your age."

Fluttershy stood speechless. She strongly disliked her time in school. Why would her parents think she wanted to go back? She continued to stare back in silence. She couldn't leave the girls, this is where she belonged.

She saved Equestria, twice. Why was she being punished?

Both parents saw her hesitation. "I can't leave, I'm needed here."

"This town has a vet. I'm more then certain that the pony in charge there can handle the animals."

"But she only deals with tame pets. I help the wild animals."

"Fluttershy, this is non-negotiable. You are coming home with us, and that's final."

Fluttershy flinched at her father's raised voice. She looked away avoiding any eye contact, and her mane flipped over her eyes again. She was stuck. In accordance to Equestrian law her parents had control of her until she turned eighteen. If they wanted she could be forced to go back to school. And that's what they wanted. "May I stay until the end of winter? They need me the most at the end of the season."

Her mother looked at her father, who was thinking about the proposition. "Until then." He said reluctantly. Now Fluttershy really disliked winter.

* * *

"Dear, where will we be staying?" Her mother asked. Fluttershy looked up from her drink in wonder. Surly they weren't planning to stay here. It was awkward now. Her parents putting pressure on her returning to this special flight school.

"Oh well I'm not sure you will like it here, but I'll let you have my room."

"Aww thank you dear." Her mother cooed. It almost sounded condescending. Fluttershy pretended to ignore the comment instead she grabbed the discarded cups and moved them into the kitchen. Outside her window she saw a unicorn mother hovering a wrapped present away from her foal. "Oh no, I forgot wrapping paper."

Outside, back in the living room, she grabbed her scarf. "I need to go out; I forgot to get something at the market today." She told her parents. Maybe. Just maybe, she could leave them here….

And of course her parents followed. Angel shut the door behind her, squeaking about how mad that he wasn't going with her. She apologized through the door and ignored the odd looks her parents gave her.

* * *

Fluttershy trotted along the ground, while her parents flew above her. Even in the earliest hours of the day, the Ponyville market would already be in full swing. As it was now noon, the place was almost packed. Avoiding the packed ground, Fluttershy trotted a few more paces and took off, joining her parents in the sky. Further up in the sky, assorted Pegasus were moving the darker clouds into Ponyville and destroyed the lovely white ones.

"Hey Fluttershy! Look, look, down here!" A voice called out. Fluttershy looked down and saw a pink earth pony waving her hooves in the air. Around her, the curly pink mane waved just a crazily in the air. Fluttershy sighed. Of all the ponies her parents to meet first, besides Rainbow Dash, it had to be Pinkie Pie. She loved the earth pony like a sister, but she was sometimes just so tiring and….out there.

But she dared not hurt Pinkie's feelings. Noticing the confused glances from her parents, Fluttershy swooped gently downwards towards the ground. Fluttershy smiled slightly. Pinkie wouldn't make the best impression, but it would easily be the most interesting.

As Fluttershy landed Pinkie ran up too her, closing the gap between them, it was only then that Pinkie let out a gasp in shock. Behind her, her parents had landed gracefully, shaking their windblown manes back into perfection. "HI I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm a friend of Fluttershy's. Ohhh this is so exciting. Your new here aren't you? Well obviously you know whether you are. But are you?"

Pinkie asked throwing an explosion of words at her parents. "Oh I can't wait. I need to start planning a welcome party. Ugh so much planning. Why don't we just wing it?" There was a pause as Pinkie stopped to catch her breath. Then suddenly she began laughing uncontrollably. "HA! 'wing it' get it? Cause your Pegasi? Oh Celestia, sometimes I just crack myself up. Well off I go more parties to plan. Gotta find Twilight, See ya Fluttershy. Nice meeting you, Fluttershy's parents." Fluttershy continued to smile as Pinkie trotted off looking for their Unicorn friend, humming her "Giggle at the Ghosties" song to anypony that would listen.

Fluttershy turned and looked at her Dam and Sire, who stood there, rooted to the spot with shocked expressions glued to their faces. Fluttershy giggled at their faces. The few other ponies around her, who had witnessed Pinkie's antics, laughed as well.

When the laughter reached their ears, the two straitened their appearances and coughed rather loudly to silence the others around them. Fluttershy squeaked when her father sent her a reprimanding gaze. "Your friend?" Her mother asked not believing the claim that Pinkie had made just a few moments earlier.

Fluttershy nodded her head yes. And silently giggled at her mother's shocked face again.


End file.
